Facebook Feature Phone App Tops 100M Users

Facebook's mobile app is not just for those with fancy smartphones; the social-networking site announced on Sunday that its stripped-down app for feature phones has now topped 100 million users.

Facebook's mobile app is not just for those with fancy smartphones; the social-networking site announced on Sunday that its stripped-down app for feature phones has now topped 100 million users.

"We are excited to announce that there are now more than 100 million people using Facebook For Every Phone each month," the company said in a statement.

Facebook For Every Phone debuted in July 2011 for more than 2,500 Java-enabled mobile phones. It went live via m.facebook.com and was also downloadable via a few smaller app stores, like GetJar, Appia, and Mobile Weaver. Facebook said today that the app is now available on more than 3,000 features phones, which can cost as little as $20.

Hitting 100 million users "is an important milestone for us," Facebook said. "Facebook's mission is to make the world more open and connected, and Facebook For Every Phone enables people around the globe to connect to the people and things they care about most, no matter what kind of mobile device they use."

The app is popular in countries like India, Indonesia and the Philippines, Facebook said. Some carriers offer free or discounted data for those who tap into Facebook's app, while Facebook For Every Phone "is optimized to use less data than other Java apps and mobile sites," the company said.

Having topped 1 billion users, Facebook needs to branch out to these types of emerging markets if it wants to continue its growth. As noted by the New York Times, "Facebook has a powerful opportunity to win the long-term loyalty of millions of new global users by giving them their first taste of the Internet through Facebook on a simple cellphone."

Chloe Albanesius has been with PCMag.com since April 2007, most recently as Executive Editor for News and Features. Prior to that, she worked for a year covering financial IT on Wall Street for Incisive Media. From 2002 to 2005, Chloe covered technology policy for The National Journal's Technology Daily in Washington, DC. She has held internships at NBC's Meet the Press, washingtonpost.com, the Tate Gallery press office in London, Roll Call, and Congressional Quarterly. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from American University...
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